{"id":3542,"date":"2026-05-20T14:48:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T14:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/?p=3542"},"modified":"2026-05-20T19:49:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:49:00","slug":"a-practical-guide-to-visiting-san-sebastian-bilbao","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/a-practical-guide-to-visiting-san-sebastian-bilbao\/","title":{"rendered":"A Practical Guide to Visiting San Sebastian &amp; Bilbao"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"3542\" class=\"elementor elementor-3542\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5faae5c7 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5faae5c7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-355ac6e5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"355ac6e5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flights, transport, where to stay\u2014and how to best experience these cities<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re planning a trip to the <\/span><b>Basque Country<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, chances are San Sebastian and Bilbao are already on your list\u2014and for good reason.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But figuring out how to get here, where to stay, and how to move between cities like Bilbao and San Sebastian isn\u2019t always as straightforward as it should be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This guide is designed to help you plan your trip in a way that feels <\/span><b>easy, thoughtful, and genuinely local<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014so you can spend less time organizing, and more time enjoying.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Finding Flights to San Sebastian (and When to Fly into Bilbao)<\/h2>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:preformatted --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">San Sebastian has its own small airport (EAS), just 20 minutes from the city center. It\u2019s convenient\u2014but flight options can be limited depending on where you\u2019re coming from.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why many travelers choose to fly into Bilbao instead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A simple way to compare both options is using platforms like<\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kayak.es\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KAYAK<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where you can check different airports, dates, and prices in one place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:preformatted --> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kayak.es\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/content.r9cdn.net\/rimg\/seo\/badges\/v1\/DARK_LARGE_LOGO_KAYAK.png\" width=\"196\" height=\"63\" \/><\/a> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>A few tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check both <\/span><b>San Sebastian (EAS)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Bilbao (BIO)<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be flexible with dates if you can<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Morning arrivals make it easier to transfer the same day<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extra tip: Search flights to San Sebastian, Bilbao and even Biarritz airport which is also closeby to find the best option for your trip<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:image --><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0<\/h3>\n<h3>How to Get to San Sebastian<\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":4} --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>From San Sebastian Airport (EAS)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Easy and straightforward if you find a direct flight<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">San Sebastian Airport is actually in Hondarribia, a gorgeous Medieval village around <\/span><b>20 minutes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> away from the city by car or <\/span><b>45 minutes by bus<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regular buses connect the airport with the center<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bus line from San Seb Airport is E21 (30 mins) and E20 (45 mins). Check times on <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lurraldebus.eus\/\">LurraldeBus<\/a><\/span>. You can pay in small notes, cash, or tap debit card<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can take a taxi approx \u20ac40-50. Sometimes people share the ride.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>\u00a0<\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>From Bilbao Airport &#8211; Loiu (BIO)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>This is often the <b style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\">best option<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> because there are more connections.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Direct buses connect Bilbao Airport to San Sebastian with <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gipuzkoa.avanzagrupo.com\/lineas-y-horarios\/horarios\">AVANZA<\/a><\/span>. Check timetables here.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buy your bus ticket before boarding; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you can\u2019t buy it on the bus.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Travel time: <\/span><b>~1 hour 15 minutes<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comfortable, frequent, and no need to go into Bilbao city first<\/span><\/span>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>By Train<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">San Sebastian\u2019s train station is centrally located and well connected to Bilbao, Madrid, Barcelona. It\u2019s a good option if you\u2019re traveling within Spain. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buy train tickets on <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.renfe.com\/es\/es\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RENFE<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Biarritz Airport Bus line connection<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Biarritz has fewer bus connections than Bilbao, so you should definitely check the times and info\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsa.es\/destino\/biarritz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20251213014512\/https:\/\/biarritz.aeroport.fr\/en\/parking-transport\/buses\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another option is renting a car from the airport and driving to San Sebastian, Bilbao and around the Basque Country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>By bus<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buses sometimes have better connections than trains here. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsa.es\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ALSA<\/span><\/a> has really good connections and their premium buses are very comfy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>Blabla Car<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re feeling more adventurous bla bla car is an online carpool service. It\u2019s like an Airbnb for cars. Rides are usually posted a few days before, and you can have alerts sent to you. Visit the website <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blablacar.es\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>By Car<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Driving gives you flexibility\u2014especially if you plan to explore the Basque coast or inland areas like Rioja. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Main routes: A-8 (coastal road), AP-1 and A-15.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>What neighbourhoods to Stay in San Sebastian<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">San Sebastian is compact, but where you stay shapes your experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>City Center: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect if you want everything within walking distance: Shops, restaurants, cultural spots. Near Buen Pastor Cathedral. <\/span><b>Best for:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> first-time visitors<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>La Concha: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want views, calm, and proximity to the sea: La Concha beach, Promenade walks, Close to iconic landmarks. <\/span><b>Best for:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> relaxed stays, couples<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Gros: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More local, slightly edgier, and full of life: Surf culture, Great caf\u00e9s and bars, Younger, creative atmosphere. <\/span><b>Best for:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> food lovers, longer stays<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TIP: Search for accommodation in San Sebastian and choose based on how you want to experience the city.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Visiting Bilbao (And Why You Shouldn\u2019t Skip It)<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bilbao is just over an hour away\u2014and offers a completely different perspective on the Basque Country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More urban, more industrial, but also deeply cultural and full of art and an exciting energy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>How to Get to Bilbao<\/h3>\n<p><b>By Air: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bilbao Airport (Loiu) has more international connections than San Sebastian. From the airport to Bilbao Bus Station in the center (Intermodal): <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bizkaia.eus\/es\/web\/bizkaibus\/bus-al-aeropuerto\"><b>Bizkaibus A3247. <\/b><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Travel time to city 25 minutes<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>By Train: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Direct connections from: Madrid and Barcelona. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.renfe.com\/es\/es\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">RENFE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>By Car: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Easy drive via: AP-68 and AP-1<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>By Bus: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frequent and affordable routes from San Sebastian and other cities. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsa.es\/\">ALSA<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Where to Stay in Bilbao<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Near the Guggenheim:<\/strong> central and convenient<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>City center<\/strong>: best for first-time visits<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More local neighborhoods for longer stays<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Casco Viejo: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Historic, vibrant, full of life\u2014perfect for wandering, eating, and getting lost. Warning: evening can be very noisy. So look for places on the edges of the Old Town.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Indautxu: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lively, modern, full of bars and nightlife.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\">Deusto <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is more local, great for pintxos, and a younger atmosphere. Still well communicated.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>Experience the Food the Right Way<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">San Sebastian and Bilbao are two of the best food cities in Europe\u2014but it\u2019s not always easy to navigate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Too many options, crowded bars, and not knowing what to order can quickly turn into a frustrating experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why many travelers choose to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fareharbor.com\/embeds\/book\/eatonefeedone\/items\/\">join a <\/a><\/span><\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">food tour<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the Basque Country<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a local guide, you:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skip the guesswork<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoid tourist traps<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taste the right dishes in the right places<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understand the culture behind the food.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explore <a href=\"https:\/\/fareharbor.com\/embeds\/book\/eatonefeedone\/items\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">our food tours in San Sebastian and Bilbao<\/span><\/a>, and experience the city like a local<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember!<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fareharbor.com\/embeds\/book\/eatonefeedone\/items\/\">book a food tour<\/a>,<\/span> <\/strong>do it at the beginning of your trip to get the tips and ideas on what to do for the rest of your stay. Move slowly, and choose experiences that help you understand\u2014not just see\u2014the place you\u2019re visiting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re still figuring out flights, it\u2019s worth quickly checking both Bilbao and San Sebastian options on<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kayak.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KAYAK<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and choosing what fits your plans best.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kayak.es\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/content.r9cdn.net\/rimg\/seo\/badges\/v1\/DARK_LARGE_LOGO_KAYAK.png\" width=\"260\" height=\"83\" \/><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your practical guide to San Sebastian and Bilbao\u2014flights, transfers, where to stay, and how to experience The Basque Country like a local.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3542"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3552,"href":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542\/revisions\/3552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topafoodtours.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}